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The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Test Samples are minimal examples of Web content that demonstrate correct and incorrect implementations of WCAG 2.0. This resource suite provides a royalty-free collection of test samples that can be used by tool developers to improve their software, or by Web content developers to learn about common implementation errors and best practices.

The document Techniques for WCAG 2.0 provides test procedures to evaluate Web content. Each WCAG 2.0 Test Sample refers to a specific test procedure in the Techniques document. Test Samples are prepared examples of correct and incorrect implementations of the Techniques so that the outcome is known when the related test procedures are executed by tools or humans. The example content in the Test Samples can be composed of one or more test files and may use different Web technologies such as HTML, CSS, or scripting. WCAG 2.0 Test Samples Metadata is used to describe the composition of the example content, the technologies it uses, and the expected outcome of the test execution. This is especially useful for automated processing of the Test Samples, for example by automated Web accessibility evaluation tools. Web content developers and tool vendors are encouraged to contribute to the Test Samples repository (an online submission form will be provided).

This WCAG 2.0 Test Samples repository is not an exhaustive collection of test examples. It does not cover every possible scenario and situation, nor is it a definitive resource for conformance evaluation. The content demonstrated in the test samples are not necessarily best practices or the only form of implementation that conforms to WCAG 2.0. Refer to the guidelines for a normative definition of the Principles, Guidelines, Success Criteria and Techniques.

Evaluation tool developers can carry out evaluations on the content of the test samples and compare the results generated by their software with the expected outcome. These tests could be carried out fully automatically or with the help of human intervention.

Authoring tool developers could use the content of the test samples to compare it with the content generated by their software. Test samples demonstrate some of the common mistakes as well as some of the current solutions or best practices of implementation.

User agent developers including browser and assistive technology makers can use the content of the test samples to improve the means of rendering in their software. The metadata of the test samples may contain additional information about user agent support for the content.

Web content developers can use the content of the test samples to learn about common mistakes and some of the current solutions or best practices of implementations. Understanding implementation practices is also essential for evaluating Web content for accessibility.